Conversations on this and that. A place to gather and civilly (politely, courteously) discuss current events, happenings, or just fun things to laugh about. You have the right to your own opinion, but remember ... so does everyone else. Those with nothing to add to the conversation will not be warmly welcomed.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

The so-called Ground Zero mosque recently applied for a $5 million federal grant from a fund designed to rebuild lower Manhattan after 9/11. Developers of the controversial Park51 Islamic community center and mosque located two blocks from Ground Zero earlier this month applied for roughly $5 million in federal grant money set aside for the redevelopment of lower Manhattan after the attacks of September 11th, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter. The audacious move stands to reignite the embers of a divisive debate that dominated headlines surrounding the ninth anniversary of the attacks this fall, say people vested in the issue. The application was submitted under a "community and cultural enhancement" grant program administered by the Lower Manhattan Redevelopment Corporation (LMDC), which oversaw the $20 billion in federal aid allocated in the wake of 9/11 and is currently doling out millions in remaining taxpayer funds for community development. The redevelopment board declined to comment on the application (as did officials from Park51), citing the still ongoing and confidential process of determining the grant winners. While news of the application has not previously been made public, developer Sharif El-Gamal outlined it in closed-door meetings, according to two individuals he spoke with directly. The thirtysomething, Brooklyn-born El-Gamal is motivated more by real estate ambition--one of these sources describes him as aspiring to be the next Donald Trump--than Islamic theology or ideology

The NY Post puts it this way:

The developers behind the proposed Ground Zero mosque have applied for about $5 million in federal grant money set aside for redeveloping downtown Manhattan after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to a new report.
The application was submitted as a "community and cultural enhancement" grant, which is a program run by the Lower Manhattan Redevelopment Corp.
Developer Sharif El-Gamal discussed the grant proposal in recent closed-door meetings, according to The Daily Beast.
The revelation that the developers have asked for this grant could reignite outrage about the mosque's proposed location.

AP

An artist rendering shows an exterior view of the proposed Park51 community center and mosque.

"If Imam Feisal and his retinue want know why they're not trusted, here's yet another reason,” Irshad Manji, author of "The Trouble with Islam" and director of the Moral Courage Project at NYU, told The Daily Beast. “The New Yorkers I speak with have questions about Park51. Requesting money from public coffers without engaging the public shows a staggering lack of empathy—especially from a man who says he's all about dialogue."
The site of the proposed mosque and cultural center, two blocks from the Trade Center, already has seen frequent protests. National figures including Sarah Palin have spoken out against it.
Some have called the project an exercise in triumphalism, intended to plant Islam's flag at the scene of the attacks and deliberately provoke Americans. Others say they are against the center because they don't want to see any growth of Islam in the U.S.
Rauf told "60 Minutes" in September that to reduce fears that terror organizations would contribute to the project, he'll ask US officials to approve the sources of funding.

Now the question is, would a grant be given to the First Bapti-Episco-Metho-Presby-Congregacostal Church of God or would it even be considered. What would be the outcry from the media and the Left?

So far not a peep other than a few minor newsrag reports.

What say you? Do they get the grant and what about separation of church and state using taxpayer money to pay for a mosque?

The Patriot Post

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